Named for the 13th district of the city of Rome, Rione XIII pays homage to the vibrant Trastevere neighborhood, which is packed full of old world charm and great food.

Housed in a 1920’s renovated brick building, Rione XIII has large wood beams, exposed gray brick, clay colored walls, and a polished cement floor. A large open kitchen, wood fired oven, and service area take up the rear of the space while a vintage skylight and large slider window provide ample natural light. A mahogany stained wood banquet lines the south wall and is paired with custom metal and black leather chairs. A handful of small booths run down the center of this 38-seat restaurant with custom-made metal lattice separating the restaurant and bar area. A handcrafted wood bar with 12 seats runs along the north of the space offering guests a birds eye view through the salvaged wood-paned windows and into neighboring spot, The Wandering Goose. Two lighting fixtures are suspended above the bar featuring a collection of beautiful hand-blown glass pendants. A small sidewalk area provides the perfect spot to gather on a sunny day.

Chef duties belong to Brandon Kirksey, who has been running the show at Tavolàta for the last few years. Anyone who has been to Kirksey’s popular Sunday Feasts at Tavolàta knows that he is a fan of whole beast cooking, and he plans to continue that tradition at Rione XIII.

Rione XIII offers a full bar and selection of beers. The wine list is Italian focused with a thoughtful selection of Northwest wines. Sennen David, who in addition to his duties as wine director of Ethan Stowell Restaurants, will be running the day-to-day operations at the restaurant.

Rione XIII is open for lunch Monday thru Friday from 11:30am to 2:30pm. Dinner is served seven nights a week from 5pm – 11pm.

Dovetail General Contractors is responsible for the build out of Rione XIII. Amoreena Miller of Strata Architects was the project architect. Henry Walters and Michelle Linden of Atelier Drome handled additional design work, with wood and metal fabrication done by Don Schumacher and Matt Adams at RedSoul.

Ethan Stowell is the executive chef and owner of Ethan Stowell Restaurants in Seattle. His highly acclaimed restaurants include Tavolàta, How to Cook a Wolf, Anchovies & Olives, Staple & Fancy Mercantile, and the just opened, Rione XIII. His food philosophy is all about keeping it simple, using fresh ingredients, and allowing the food to do the talking.

In 2010, Stowell launched Lagana Foods, an artisan pasta line, and began consulting for the Seattle Mariners. His work with the Mariners helps to bring local products into the stadium for fans to enjoy. Ethan Stowell’s New Italian Kitchen was released in September 2010 from Ten Speed Press.

In the spring of 2012, Stowell opened Ballard Pizza Company, the first of his casual “fast food redefined” restaurants from his new company, Grubb Brothers Productions.

Stowell was named one of the 2008 Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine magazine and has been honored with multiple James Beard Award nominations for “Best Chef Northwest.”

Deeply devoted to his hometown, Stowell is a fervent advocate committed to seeing that Seattle is recognized nationally as a culinary destination. He and his wife, Angela, live in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. To learn more, visit www.ethanstowellrestaurants.com.

Charles Koh founded EatSeattle, and has continued to use his expertise as editor-in-chief to guide the website’s growth over the last five years. Koh’s experience focuses on digital marketing and social media, and has been a part of several companies, some of which he created, specializing in both areas over the course of his career. Koh was previously with Google and Zagat where he helped expand and grow communities worldwide.